Welcome to the world, Nikola

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

09.22.2017

Anytime I am approached to photograph a birth my first word of advice is to throw any expectations out the window. Birth are unpredictable, vulnerable, and hard. They are hard to prepare for, they are hard to watch, and most of all they are hard to experience. But some women come to learn that word very intimately. They know every nook and cranny of hard, they have gone to the very edge of themselves and looked hard in the face and lived to tell the tale but that word will forever be a reminder of the day hard pushed them to be someone they had never been before. Christine, what you went through to bring Nikola into this world was nothing short of astounding. 40 weeks and 4 days of bodily sacrifice. 36 hours of labor. 3 hours of all-encompassing work. And finally there he was, your son, everything you clenched your teeth for, everything you cried for, everything you hoped for. He was healthy in your arms. The rest melted away.